USDA insured home loan key points:
 
·         100% loan to value, no down payment required!
·         Unlimited seller assist – payment towards buyer’s closing costs
·         Finance closing costs up to the appraised value of the home
·         30-year fixed rate, no balloons, no prepayment penalties, no recapture fess, etc.
·         Current interest rate:  6.50%  (8-29-08, subject to change, borrowers must qualify)
·         FHA type home condition requirements, insulation standards no longer apply!
·         No limit on loan size up to $417,000
·         No monthly mortgage insurance premium!
·         Flexible credit underwriting, income must be verified and qualify
·         not restricted to first time buyers – anyone who needs a home!
 
Property restrictions:  For sale single family, owner occupied homes, no manufactured homes, twins/duplexes and row homes are permitted
 
Geographic Restrictions:  For towns with populations under 10,000, no flood plains
Eligibility website:  http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov
 
Income Restrictions:  based on family size, family care expenses and county

Call the mortgage line, Dan Thierry at Dominion Mortgage at 610-614-1903 or visit www.dominionrates.com.

Uncle Sam wants you…to own a home!  It is true.    There are several Federal and also some state government home loan programs.  FHA and VA are the most widely known.  Most of these home loan programs have not tightened their qualification standards despite the credit crunch that is changing the landscape entirely for conventional loans.  So now government insured loans, nearly obsolete a year ago, are making a mighty comeback.  Little or no credit is not much of an obstacle for most government insured home loans.   Generally, if you do not have any traditional credit but can demonstrate that you pay bills like rent and utilities on time – that qualifies.  Also, a low credit score is permissible with an explanation and no late payments in last twelve months.  Additionally, government loans are the haven for small and zero down payment and they permit sellers to pay towards the buyer’s closings costs.  So let your tax dollars work for you by helping your family buy a new home.

Call the mortgage line, Dan Thierry at Dominion Mortgage at 610-614-1903 or visit www.dominionrates.com.

More than ever, fico scores are important for mortgage loan approval and a factor in determining the interest rate on most conventional home loans.  Here is the short list to maximize your fico score:  #1 pay everything on time, this cannot be emphasized enough, #2 establish credit if you do not have a mix (mortgage, installment and revolving) of reporting accounts and at least a 24 month history  #3 reduce your credit card balances, the lower the balance compared to the limit, the higher your fico score will be – this is the single most overlooked item  #4 age of accounts matters, try not to close accounts with a good, long history, opening new accounts will probably reduce your fico score for a while  #5 inquires matter, but are only small factor, these sometimes get too much attention.  A fico score over 720 is considered a good fico score.  Mortgage companies use all three major credit bureaus and typically use the middle fico score of the three as the indicating credit score.  For more information on credit and credit repair services, visit our website.

Call the mortgage line, Dan Thierry at Dominion Mortgage at 610-614-1903 or visit www.dominionrates.com.

Bridge loans, sometimes known as swing loans, are short term loans intended to access trapped home equity for the purchase of buying a new home.  For example, if John and Mary Homebuyer have their current home for sale and will net $200,000 (equity) after paying their selling costs and current mortgage.  That $200,000 will be the down payment on their new home.   John and Mary do not have their current home sold yet, but they find their dream home for $500,000 and they need to close next month.  John and Mary cannot count on selling their existing home in time, but expect it will sell soon.  The challenge is they need to get that $200,000 in trapped equity to the closing table in the form of cash when they settle on their dream home – the bridge loan accomplishes this.  Bridge loans are intended to be made on a home that will be for sold in the short term, otherwise a standard home equity loan would do the job.

Call the mortgage line, Dan Thierry at Dominion Mortgage at 610-614-1903 or visit www.dominionrates.com.